


The Green Eyed... Monster?

by Palefire73



Series: Prisoners. The Chronicles of Loki and Erika [16]
Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel, Norse Gods - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Jealousy, Love, Mind alteration, Romance, Suspicion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 08:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palefire73/pseuds/Palefire73
Summary: So, you hire someone to help around your property and all of a sudden your companion seems besotted with him. What would you be thinking?Let us see what Loki thinks...





	The Green Eyed... Monster?

Because it had given her reason to believe she could contact the outside world, Erika found it difficult to contain herself about the message she had found in the old Yew tree, and Loki asked her a few times if she was feeling alright when her attention drifted from their conversations or if she sat staring off into the distance. Even though The Vision had altered certain perceptions and memories for him, Loki’s personality was a strong one and he was still a fairly suspicious person. He had not failed to notice that Erika’s daydreaming had begun at around the same time that they had taken Hans on as Farmhand and he was finding it difficult to convince himself that the new man’s presence had nothing to do with it. Hans was a handsome young man and was naturally friendly; something that was guaranteed to be attractive to anyone, including the Trickster. Loki had seen how Erika seemed to be fairly shy whenever Hans spoke to her and that once his attention strayed to something else she would look at him in the strangest of ways as if she was trying to decide something about him.

 

Jealousy is an insidious emotion. Never actively sought out by its victims, it nonetheless slips effortlessly into their minds and is incredibly difficult to ignore once it has taken root. Perhaps one of the most damaging feelings of all, it is pervasive, tenacious and persuasive. Now it may have been Loki’s long life of having been mischievous and often guilty of pranks, crimes and swindling people, or it may have been his natural propensity towards suspicion, but it took only a few weeks for him to become jealous. The nervous giggles Erika made sometimes when she spoke with Hans, the way she stared at him when she thought no one was looking, even the blush that settled prettily on her cheeks if Hans complemented the cookies she often brought out to them while they working: it all held Loki’s mind and heart wide open to jealousy.

 

He had no reason for succumbing to it as we know. Aside from the fact that Erika loved him with all her heart and often told him so, the source of her behaviour was of a completely different nature to that which he believed. Far from being attracted to Hans in a sexual way, Erika’s reaction to the farmhand was simply curiosity and conjecture. Ever since finding the message in the Yew, she had been positively burning to know if he was in direct contact with The Vision. She had come back from her discovery with her mind in a complete state, whirling around as it was with questions. She had spent more than a few nights alone in her room unable to sleep, wondering what it all meant. Should she just ask Hans? Would the fail-safes put in place cause him to deny anything to do with an “outside”? Would he laugh it off? Should she leave another message in the Yew even though The Vision had told her it was only meant for emergencies? Then she wondered if he was not truly a “real” person and once that occurred to her, she found herself obsessed with watching him, trying to spot anything in his appearance or mannerisms that might separate him in some way. She believed she was being discreet in her behaviour and had no idea of the effect it was having on Loki because her motives were completely innocent of anything he might have been thinking. So she was taken completely by surprise when Loki announced he was considering letting Hans go.

 

“I do not understand.” She said as they were readying themselves to go out for a stroll one morning, “Ever since he arrived, you have had nothing but praise for him! He is punctual, he is polite and friendly, he is handy around the farm…”

“And handsome? And engaging?” Loki’s tone was harsh as he cut off her words and a pang of worry gripped her; she had not heard him speak in such a manner since he’d had his jealous outbursts at her for being able to wield Mjolnir. _What was the matter with him?_ “You seem to be quite entranced by our new friend.”

 

Erika stopped buttoning up her warm winter coat as she suffered the hard stare Loki was giving her, wondering where this had suddenly come from. He had pursed his thin lips determinedly and if it had not been for the rich auburn tones of his hair and his ruddy complexion, he would have resembled the Loki she thought they had left behind when they had been placed in this prison realm. _Do not give in to this!_ She thought and, keeping her own eyes locked defiantly with his she began to unbutton her coat again, hardening her own features in return.

 

“It seems you have a bee in your bonnet concerning something which I know nothing about!” She said defensively, “And you have certainly spoiled any appetite I may have had for going for a walk with you today.” Leaving the homely kitchen, she stalked into the small utility room where they kept outdoor items and hung up her coat on a hook angrily, almost tearing it, but when she turned to go back, Loki was standing in her way, blocking the door. Refusing to engage in any further conversation with him, Erika walked to one side of him to get past, but he moved so that he was purposefully blocking the doorway and his imposing size meant she could not squeeze past him. Crossing her arms over her chest and staring at the buttons on his waistcoat she said, “Let me through please.” When he did not move, she felt her patience wearing thin. “Move aside please, Loki. I do not want to have to go outside in order to get round you!”

“I would know what fascinates you so much about Hans.” Loki spoke quietly, but there was an edge to his voice as if he was trying to control himself. A slow dread began to build in Erika; was this going to be their first fight here in the prison? Over something as silly as this? She must not have been so inconspicuous after all… had she really been so openly interested in Hans as to make Loki feel like this? He was, after all, a very perceptive creature, used to reading body language and spotting signs of deceit. Erika was not interested in Hans for the reasons Loki suspected, yet how could she explain it all away convincingly without alerting Loki to the reality of their situation and risk him going berserk?

 

The young Asgardian realised there were two ways out of this situation: either as friends or sulking at each other – possibly through having fought – and she knew which one she did not want. Sighing heavily, she placed her hands on Loki’s and pulled them together in the space between them, then looked up at him. It was immediately apparent that there was no anger there, only the cowardly emotion of jealousy hiding behind a layer of insecurity.

 

“It saddens me that you think so low of me, Loki,” She began, gently squeezing his hands and holding them to her breast. “I am in a strange place, far from home and I have no contact with my family or friends. I have only you Loki, and whilst I _love_ you…” Erika stressed the word love and kept her eyes locked on his, “… I simply… I just need… more. Hans…” She felt Loki stiffen, but she kept hold of his hands and persevered, “… Hans _is_ fascinating, I will admit it. His adventures are exciting to listen to. Hans _is_ handsome, but so are many people… including you! And if you had bothered to be as interested in him as I have been then you would know that he has just become betrothed to his childhood sweetheart. And I could not be happier for them!”

 

Loki’s face became blurred as unbidden tears filled Erika’s eyes; why should she have to prove herself to him? She let go of his hands as she felt him pull them away and her heart grew heavy, but then she felt herself being wrapped in his strong arms and pulled gently to his chest. Closing her eyes and feeling the wetness on her cheeks as those tears escaped, she tentatively returned the embrace, still not quite sure where this left them.

 

“I’m sorry Erika.” Loki pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her back, “I spoke out of turn and I was wrong to think of you that way.” He sighed and kissed the top of her head again. “We have come through so much, fought so hard, given up so much to get here and I confess there is still a small part of me which cannot quite believe you were so willing to leave the Palace to come to be with me and to be so far away from everyone.” Loki squeezed her lovingly and his voice changed; it became thick with emotion and Erika realised that he was speaking words he hoped she would not pay heed to: “You… you can always go back if you do not wish to stay. I do not want you to feel as if you are trapped here.”

 

Oh by the Gods! The pain that went through Erika at those words was so profound that for a moment she could not move. _“… you can always go back…”_ If only she could – but with Loki by her side! The poor man simply had no idea.

 

“Loki please! Will you accept that I am here because I love you?” She whispered against his warm chest and his arms held her tighter. “I am here because I _love_ you… and I do not want anyone else.”

 

Loki’s hand came up to stroke her blonde curls and as it brushed her cheek he felt the wet trail of her tears. A pang of guilt went through him; why was he testing the poor girl’s resolve? Why had he allowed these suspicions to take root and cause him to confront her like this? He cupped her smooth jaw with his hand and she looked up at him with sorrowful eyes, saddening him. _It should not be like this!_

 

“I love you too, Erika,” He said, gently wiping away the salty trail with his thumb, “Very much. I am so sorry for doubting you – perhaps this all feels too good to be true… as if I am in an intricate dream, not the real Asgard.”

 

Before Erika had time to worry if Loki had somehow seen through the illusion of the elaborately constructed prison, he bent his head towards her and hesitantly pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was soft and tender as if he was seeking permission to share this bittersweet moment with her and she melted under his attention. Warmth spread through her as she reached up to wrap her arms around him and they kissed more deeply; pouring their love for each other into the kiss, soft lips moving over each other, tongues tentatively tasting each other and warm breaths mingling as a sense of urgency crept in. It had been a long time since she had shared intimacy with Loki; before the accident at the Hunt back in Asgard they had enjoyed a pleasant morning making love together only for Erika’s heart to be broken by witnessing a moment of tenderness from Loki towards Aida the Palace Designer just a couple of hours later. It had led inevitably to their splitting apart and she found mixed feelings creeping into her heart as Loki now became more passionate. She drew away from him slightly, breaking the contact.

 

“I…” Words failed her. How could she communicate how she felt to him without causing him upset? The dread of having this all taken away from her was very strong and was based solely on previous experiences. Of course, there were no threats to their bond from outside parties any longer, but it was so difficult to simply let go and allow herself to fall straight into a full physical relationship with him again when memories of just how much it hurt to lose him were so fresh in her mind. Yet there was hope, it seemed. Far from becoming confused and possibly even upset at her rebuttal, Loki smiled kindly and pulled her back into an embrace. They stood together for many minutes while they simply hugged each other; Loki stroking his favourite blonde curls and Erika listening to the heartbeat of the man she loved while he reaffirmed to her that she was loved too and that she would never be forced to prove her love by giving herself to him because she was scared he would otherwise leave her. It was not what he wanted and he had certainly not brought the subject of Hans up to cause a fight which would lead to Erika feeling as though she should sleep with him in order to prove her innocence. Loki was a passionate creature and had been guilty of using his status to have liaisons in the past, including Erika, but he much preferred his partner to be willing and he knew he could not – and would not – have her any other way. He felt the poison of his jealousy melt away as if it was being drawn from him and he steered Erika over to the rack, where he helped her on with her winter coat; they would go for their walk after all.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

From the corner of the utility room, where pairs of boots and the basket containing umbrellas and walking sticks resided, a pair of glittering emerald eyes observed the scene unfolding before them. It seemed Loki was suffering with his particularly tenacious paranoia and needed help to stop him from ruining his relationship with Erika. Reaching out particularly carefully, for it did not want to be discovered doing this in broad daylight, the cat found the venomous green aura surrounding the God of Mischief and tentatively read it. Jealousy! A particularly nasty emotion and one which had always been strong in Loki.

 

Breathing in deeply and closing its eyes, the cat began to concentrate as it listened to the exchange between the two people, drawing on the green aura and pulling it away from Loki. Just as Erika was telling Loki about Han’s betrothal, a good portion broke away and the cat breathed it in as if were the very air around it, absorbing the dreadful emotion into its body. As it opened its eyes – which were already an amazing shade of green – they positively shone with the jealousy it had just taken away from Loki before they calmed down and the cat looked over to see if there had been any effect.

 

“I’m sorry Erika.” Loki pulled the girl closer and kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her back, “I spoke out of turn and I was wrong to think of you that way.”

 

The green aura had died down and the remainder was now disappearing of its own accord; hopefully it would not be as powerful should it ever return. And as Loki helped Erika on with her winter coat, the feline depository for all the darkness Loki had possessed whilst living in the real Asgard retreated into the very corner of the utility room, where it slipped away through a crack in space-time until it was needed again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I have had a lot on recently, what with Comic Con and running and holidays, but of course I still love my readers and my stories and here is a new chapter of Loki and Erika's life just so you know I am still writing. 
> 
> I love to explore relationships and how little lapses in communication can potentially cause so much damage, but also how simply talking can clear the air and mend the deepest cuts. Loki and Erika have come a long way, but they also have much further to go and I'm going for a slow burn, so I hope anyone who is anticipating their physical union has patience! I also thought it would be nice to elaborate a tiny bit on the role of our Black Cat. Now it is simply a question of me revealing to you just why it's there and how and by which person's hand... *evil grin* All will become clear, but expect a particularly slow drip feed of clues on this one ;)
> 
> On a completely different note: Mr H is playing Hamlet in a Kenneth Branagh production at RADA in London this September to raise funds to allow the provision of top quality training to students no matter their social background. It is really exciting to hear that the two of them are working together again and it is a role that will stretch Tom's acting muscles enormously. Sir Kenneth had a successful year of theatre in a fledgling company 2015/16 and I was lucky enough to see a cinema broadcast of "The Winter's Tale" starring Dame Judi Dench. I'm so proud of British theatre!!!
> 
> *gushing over*


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